We finish our Scout Notes from Sunday with some key takeaways from Chelsea 1-1 Arsenal and Nottingham Forest 1-3 Newcastle United, including an injury update on Bukayo Saka (£10.1m).
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SAKA + RICE INJURY LATEST
Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice (£6.3m) both suffered injuries in Sunday’s draw at Stamford Bridge.
Rice was replaced by Mikel Merino (£6.0m) in the second-half, while Saka was left in some discomfort shortly after, eventually limping off the pitch with a muscle issue.
Speaking after the match, Mikel Arteta said:
“It doesn’t look good because two players of that importance tell you that they cannot continue in the game, so it obviously isn’t good news.” – Mikel Arteta
“They don’t look very good, to be fair.” – Mikel Arteta
Asked whether the duo will report for international duty on Monday, he replied:
“I don’t know whether to expect them to be fit, because if they were, they wouldn’t have come off.” – Mikel Arteta
ODEGAARD RETURNS
Gabriel Martinelli (£6.9m) opened the scoring when he fired past Robert Sanchez (£4.7m), whose latest lapse in concentration saw him beaten at the near post.
Martin Odegaard (£8.2m), returning from injury to make his first start since Gameweek 3, supplied the assist.
The playmaker created a match-high four chances, instantly showing his effect. The Gunners’ performances will surely improve now he’s back.
“Our player has been out for six weeks and barely trained with the team. To be able to play at this level in the Premier League tells you how much he looks after himself and the leadership and character he has. Everything flows better with players like this. Today we clicked much better. You could see everything was flowing but again it is about winning.” – Mikel Arteta on Martin Odegaard
Elsewhere, Kai Havertz (£8.0m) had a goal ruled out for offside, having rolled the ball under Sanchez following a quickly-taken free-kick, while Arsenal almost won it with the last kick of the game, only for substitute Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) to poke wide.
However, Saka was very quiet up until his injury, and defensively, Arsenal look much less secure than last season.
“I’m very disappointed with the way we conceded. The standards and our defensive habits were nowhere near. They have quality and if you give them space they are going to punish you.” – Mikel Arteta
NETO IMPRESSES/MARESCA ON ROTATION
As for Chelsea, the schedule looks considerably kinder after the international break:
Cole Palmer (£10.9m) passed a late fitness test to start but wasn’t anywhere near his best, with Thomas Partey (£5.0m) completing an effective man-marking job on him.
He tends to save his best performances for weaker opposition anyway.
“I don’t think we took any risks. For sure, he was a doubt until the end. His performances have been very good. In the first 10 minutes, we contacted him, from Colwill to him, three or four times. Then they adjust and Partey was marking him man-to-man so it was difficult for Cole in that case. But overall, very happy with Cole’s performance.” – Enzo Maresca on Cole Palmer
Instead, it was Pedro Neto’s (£6.2m) time to shine.
The Portuguese was excellent throughout, scoring the all-important equaliser at Stamford Bridge. His pinpoint cross for the ‘inverting’ Malo Gusto (£4.9m) really should have earned him an assist, too.
On current form, Neto is Chelsea’s most dangerous attacker, with 10 shots, five key passes and two big chances created in his last three matches. That said, he’s now on four yellow cards.
Rotation is another concern for some of Chelsea’s assets – this time it was the turn of club captain Reece James (£4.9m) to be benched.
“The performance from Pedro [Neto] was very good, all of them, complete. We played in the way we wanted to, brave, and try and play from the back always.
“All of our players are ready when we decide to give them the opportunity. Enzo [Fernandez] was ready to play from the start but we decided not to for a tactical reason but then he was excellent. Pedro [Neto] has been excellent since he joined us.
“It is so, so strange for all the guys that are outside. We need balance. Sometimes Malo [Gusto] will play, sometimes Reece [James] will play, but the important thing is that when they play they perform well and this is the main thing.” – Enzo Maresca
GORDON INJURY UPDATE/JOELINTON + ISAK IMPACT
Anthony Gordon (£7.2m) is another player who has been freshly flagged overnight, having picked up a hip injury at the City Ground on Sunday.
The Newcastle United winger will now be assessed to determine if he can join up with Lee Carsley’s England squad.
“I’d say because he has come off, yes [a doubt for England]. It looks like a similar problem to one he had a few weeks ago with his hip. We hope it’s not serious.” – Eddie Howe on Anthony Gordon
Gordon’s replacement, Harvey Barnes (£6.3m), stepped off the bench to score for the Magpies, in a superb all-round display.
Alexander Isak (£8.4m) and Joelinton (£6.0m) were also on the scoresheet.
Howe reserved special praise for the latter, who has recently featured further forward on the wing.
“He’s turned into a beast, a machine, he is someone you put on the pitch and you know what you are going to get. He has got those mental qualities. Joe deserves the credit, not us, it’s the player who has to commit to what you ask him to do. I want more from him, I think he can get more goals. Look at the goals he has scored this season, it’s a player with real finishing abilities.” – Eddie Howe on Joelinton
The positional switch seems to suit him and Newcastle, with Bruno Guimaraes (£6.2m), Sean Longstaff (£4.7m) and Joe Willock (£4.8m) complementing each other nicely in the middle of the park.
Above: Newcastle United’s passing network in Gameweek 11, via StatsBomb
As for Isak, he’s now scored in three successive matches, a period which has seen him rack up six big chances. With West Ham United next, there’ll be plenty of takers.
One player who will miss that game is Dan Burn (£4.4m), who reached his fifth booking of the season on Sunday.
FOREST’S TOUGH RUN
While interest in Newcastle assets is about to ramp up, Nottingham Forest are about to embark on a much tougher run of fixtures:
On Sunday, Murillo (£4.5m) headed home Anthony Elanga’s (£5.2m) free-kick to open the scoring.
He’s now registered nine shots in his last five matches.
Chris Wood (£6.6m), however, failed to register a single attempt on goal, blanking for the first time since Gameweek 6.
Collectively, Forest were well below their usual level but perspective is needed after a solid start.
“We have to give credit to Newcastle because they are a good team and they were able to control us. They were able to take advantage of some decisions we made when we were rushing, and they punished us on the counter-attack. They have pace and they have quality, and they were lethal with the chances they had.” – Nuno Espirito Santo
